Terms &
Conditions

This is the Terms & Conditions of Powderlife. This website, the “Powderlife” brand and all material produced in relation to it are owned by Niseko Media KK.

Powderlife’s website is operated by Ministry of Villas Pte Ltd (hereinafter called the Company or we or us or our), trading as Powderlife, with its principal offices located at 80 Robinson Road, #14-02, Singapore 068899.

1. Agreement

The agreement between the Company and the person making the booking (hereinafter called the Customer or you) is valid only after a booking is received by the Company together with the appropriate payment, and the booking has been confirmed to the Customer by the Company.

By signing the booking form, or by ticking the “I agree” box on Powderlife website booking form the Customer accepts these conditions and confirms that he or she is authorised to do so on behalf of all other persons named on the booking form thus forming a contract between the Company and the Customer; which in turn forms a contract between the owner or property manager of your chosen property and the Customer. These booking terms and conditions must be read in conjunction with individual property policies.

2. Prices

Prices are advertised in USD per property per night. Rates quoted allow for maximum guest numbers using existing bedding, additional fees may apply for additional guests up to the maximum number permitted by the property. The number of guests staying in a property cannot exceed the maximum number of guests published or agreed in the bookings confirmation.

3. Price guarantee

Powderlife guarantees the price of your accommodation will not change after you have made your booking and we have issued a confirmation invoice. The offer does not apply to misquotes or pricing errors.

4. Reservations

Enquiries are held for a maximum of 48 hours and to secure the booking we require a written email/fax/mail confirmation and deposit. We will send an invoice by email, fax or regular mail. The standard terms are, we take a 50% deposit when you book your accommodation, and the balance is payable 60 days prior to your arrival.

5. Extras

Where extras such as cots, high chairs, or extra beds are required some properties may have an additional charge. If the property does not have such items the customer will be informed of that at the time of booking and may be required to hire equipment. Extra items are subject to availability and must be requested at the time of booking.

5.1 Requests
Special requests (for example early check-in or late check-out) are not guaranteed, however we will always do our best to comply with these provided they are made well in advance of your departure. Extra fees may apply and will be charged directly by the property upon your arrival or departure.

6. Payment conditions

A deposit of 50% of the price of your accommodation is payable at the time of booking. The balance of your holiday as shown on the Confirmation Invoice must be paid in full at least 60 days before your arrival. Where the booking takes place less than 60 days before your arrival the full amount is due immediately to secure the booking. If the balance is not paid 60 days before your arrival we reserve the right to retain the deposit, cancel your booking and apply our cancellation charges as set out in Clause 7 below. Property rates are categorised in low, high and peak seasons.

6.1 Payment Methods
You can pay online with credit card (all major cards accepted) via PayPal, or login if you have a PayPal account. There will be an additional 3% PayPal fee added to the invoice. We also accept international bank transfers which can be paid in Japanese Yen (JPY). Please request this option at the time of booking. You are responsible for all bank fees.

7. Changes or Cancellations made by the Customer

The Customer must notify changes or cancellations made to the booking to the Company in writing. We will do our best to assist where possible with any reasonable changes made by the Customer, but they may not be possible. An administrative charge of USD $100 per booking for each change shall apply in addition to any costs levied by our supplier as a result of the change of details. Such charges will be notified to the Customer. Where the Customer has requested a change to the date of the holiday less than 60 days prior to arrival, the holiday booking shall be deemed cancelled and the cancellation charges referred to below will apply.

Any changes to the number of people in your party must be advised to us as soon as possible and where applicable any payment required by you in respect of additional persons shall be made in full if the change is requested less than 60 days prior to arrival.

In the event that you cancel a confirmed booking, the following penalties will generally apply:

20% of the total rental amount will be forfeited if the cancellation is made more than 60 days before arrival

Up to 100% of the total rental amount will be forfeited if the cancellation is made within 60 days of arrival

The applicable penalty amount will be deducted from the amount of your deposit, and the Company will refund any remaining balance to you.

8. Changes or Cancellations made by the Company

8.1 Minor Changes
Most alterations or changes to confirmed holiday arrangements are minor, for example the withdrawal of facilities at your accommodation; changes made by the property owner or manager but not advised to us; typographical errors within the property description. We will always do our best to advise you of such changes.

We always inform you of any changes that may have taken place since descriptions were written/checked, or since you made your booking, just as soon as we are made aware. Holidays are planned well in advance, and there may be times when our property owners alter or temporarily withdraw services or advertised facilities, without prior warning to us.

Please note in the case of a refund is offered from the property or Powderlife we are not responsible for bank fees to transfer the refund to you.

8.2 Major Changes
Although unlikely, we do reserve the right to substitute different accommodation to that booked by the Customer of a similar or equivalent standard. In the event of a major change the Customer has either the option of accepting the alternative accommodation offered by the Company (for the avoidance of doubt where the alternative accommodation has a lower price than the amount that the Customer has paid the Company will refund the difference and where the alternative is of a higher price than the Customer has paid then the Company reserves the right to charge the Customer the difference between that amount and the increased price) or the Customer has the option of cancelling their rental and the Company shall use its best endeavours to promptly refund all monies paid.

We have taken all reasonable steps to ensure that any companies or agents used abroad are reputable. We have however no direct control over such organisations or their employees and therefore cannot take responsibility for them. In the unlikely event that circumstances beyond our control necessitate the cancellation of your rental we shall use our best endeavours to promptly refund all monies paid and the Company shall not be liable for any additional compensation.

9. Your Accommodation

9.1 Occupancy
Your accommodation is reserved for the exclusive use of the persons named on the confirmation invoice and no other person(s) may use the property. Rates quoted allow for maximum occupancies of the property as shown in the provided information on the website. The number of guests staying in a property cannot exceed the maximum number of guests published or agreed in the bookings confirmation. Customers must inform the Company in advance in writing about any other guest’s arrival whose names are not in the booking confirmation.

9.2 Security Deposit
Credit card and passport details will be required upon check-in in lieu of any charges in respect of the telephone, additional specialist cleaning or damage to high value furniture and equipment. Any damage caused to the property must be reported to the local property manager immediately and any damage cost will be deducted from your house deposit. If you are traveling with children, please take care that they do not use crayons and paints on the cushions and sofas. For fabric stains that cannot be removed the property manager will charge guests for the cost of replacement.

The Customer is responsible for leaving the property in good order and in a clean condition. The Customer further undertakes to pay for any damages or losses incurred during occupation. The owner reserves the right to repossess the property if the Customer or a member of the party has caused excessive damage.

9.3 Services in the accommodation

9.3.1 Telephone
If your property is equipped with a landline, your incoming telephone calls are free, however all outgoing telephone calls are charged according to usage and shall be charged to your credit card upon departure.

9.3.2 Utilities
Neither the Company nor the property owner will accept any responsibility for the temporary failure or interruption to the provision of either the utilities (gas, heating, electricity, phone) or internet caused by events which are outside of our control, or should your devices be incompatible with the internet system.

9.3.3 Satellite TV
Where satellite television is we cannot guarantee the precise channels offered as these services change from time to time, and Powderlife may not be advised of such changes. If you ask us to clarify which services are supplied at a particular property we can usually find out. Neither the Company nor the property manager can be held responsible for the loss of provision of these services in the case of technical issues or should services be withdrawn by the provider for any reason.

9.3.4 Maintenance of outside areas
Properties will be cleaned and maintained on a regular basis during the customer’s stay by staff who have access to the property.

9.4 Security Issues9.4.1 Your belongings
All baggage and personal belongings retained at the property are kept at the Customers risk. You are advised to secure the property and personal items in the security safe (if available) when you are not in residence and at night.

9.5 Complaints
We are committed to offering you the best holiday accommodation available. However should the Customer have cause for complaint whilst on holiday the Customer should contact the Company’s local representative or agent whose name and contact details are set out on the confirmation form. If the Customer is unable to reach the local representative or is not satisfied with the resolution to any issue provided by the local representative or agent, the Customer is advised to call the Company whose contact number is listed on the Confirmation Invoice, and we shall use reasonable endeavours to rectify the problem except where circumstances are beyond our reasonable control. If the complaint cannot be rectified whilst the Customer is on holiday the Customer should contact the Company in writing within 14 days of returning home from their holiday.

9.6 Arrival at and departure from your accommodation
On your first day, your property will be ready for your arrival at 3pm. Please let us know your expected arrival time so we can plan to minimise any delay to your check-in. On your departure day your property checkout time 10am unless otherwise arranged with the property manager.

9.6.1 Directions and Maps
We provide clear easy to follow directions giving the precise location of your chosen property. We can help arrange airport transfers, or you can take a hire car from the airport should you prefer. If you would like us to talk you through the directions before you leave, we would be very happy to do so. If you are hiring a car, please ensure you have a valid international drivers licence and are comfortable driving on snow as driving conditions during winter can be hazardous.

9.6.2 Assistance abroad
We respect your privacy and independence, and will provide you with local contact numbers for our staff in your chosen destination, should you need assistance or information.

9.7 Collection and return of keys
The collection and return of the accommodation keys is always the responsibility of the Customer. The keys should be collected from the local property manager unless stated otherwise at the time of booking. At the end of the holiday it is the Customer’s responsibility to return the keys to the same place where collected.

9.8 General Issues
We reserve the right to terminate your holiday in the event that your behaviour or that of a member of your party is such that it is likely to cause distress, damage, danger or annoyance to our other clients, employees, property or any third party. If you or a member of your party are prevented from travelling because in the opinion of any person in authority you or a member of your party appear to be unfit or likely to cause discomfort or disturbance to other parties, we will have no further liability to complete your rental arrangements. We will not be liable for any refund, compensation, or any additional costs incurred by you. We cannot accept any liability for the behaviour of others staying at our accommodation.

9.9 Building Works
In most areas, in all countries, there is new building work taking place. We take steps to monitor this and advise you if any building work affects your chosen property, however this cannot always be guaranteed in non-winter months. Should we consider that a neighbouring building plot or plots would seriously affect your property with either noise or dust pollution or both, then we will use our best endeavours to find an alternative property for you under the terms of our booking conditions as stated in Section 8.

Where road works or public works occur at short notice or without notice, and which are outside of our control, we cannot be held liable for any inconvenience to you.

9.10 Photographs
The photographs on our web site are normally up to date and give a general impression of the individual properties or resorts. However, the Company does not take any responsibility for any views or objects such as furniture etc. which appear in the pictures, but may have been removed or changed, nor for any changes to aspects of views since the pictures were taken, or descriptions compiled.

11. Personal Requirements

11.1 Passports & Visa
Customers from approved countries must be in possession of a passport, which is valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival and the completed embarkation/disembarkation card they received from their airline. It is the responsibility of the Customer to be aware of their own visa requirements to enter the country of travel.

11.2 Insurance
We strongly recommend that you take out comprehensive travel insurance to cover you for illness, injury, death, loss of baggage and personal items, cancellations and other travel contingencies. We also strongly recommend a health insurance that covers medical evacuation for emergencies. The owner is not responsible for Customer property loss or damage.

11.3 Personal Health
Please tell us at the time of booking about any medical condition or infirmity of any member of your party that might be relevant to your holiday. We can advise of local medical facilities and companies abroad who can offer services that may assist and make your trip even more comfortable.

12. Agreement Non-compliance

Customers assure the Owner that any tenant who violates any of the terms of this Agreement shall be immediately denied occupancy and shall remedy any damages or other expenses caused by the Customer and/or the Customer guest(s).

13. Lawful Use

Customers and/or their guests shall not disturb, annoy, endanger, or inconvenience neighbours, nor use the premises for any unlawful purposes, nor violate any law or ordinance, nor commit waste or nuisance on or about the premises. Any inappropriate or destructive behaviour could result in the eviction of the entire Customers group without refund.

14. Non-Waiver

Should either Owners or Customers waive their rights to enforce any breach of this Agreement, that waiver shall be considered temporary and not a continuing waiver of any later breach. Although Owners may know when accepting rent that Customers are violating one or more of this Agreement’s conditions, Owners in accepting the rent are in no way waiving their rights to enforce the breach. Neither Owners nor Customers shall have waived their rights to enforce any breach unless they agree to a waiver in writing.

14. References in Wording

Plural references made to the parties involved in this Agreement may also be singular, and singular references may be plural. These references also apply to Owners’ and Tenants’ heirs, executors, administrators, or successors, as the case may be.

15. Waiver & Release from Liability

Customer hereby waives and releases, indemnifies, hold harmless and forever discharges the Owner and its agents and employees including Ministry of Villas and their respective agents, staff and employees from any and all claims, demands, debts, contracts, expenses, causes of action, lawsuits, damages and liabilities, of every kind and nature, including claims of Owner or their employee negligence, whether known or unknown, in law or equity, that Customer ever had or may have arising from or related to participation in any of the events or activities, and for the duration of the stay at the stated property. Owner and their agents including Powderlife are not liable for loss, damage of property, to/of Customer or its group or guests. Customer assumes any risk, and takes full responsibility and waives any claims of personal injury, death or damage to personal property associated with the stated property including but not limited to man-made hazards associated with the property such as slippery shower basins, tubs, swimming pool facilities and natural hazards such as holes, ditches, fallen trees, branches, ice, snow, and or other irregularities in terrain and using the terrain including walking, jogging, biking or related activities. Customer primary contact needs to be at least eighteen (18) years of age.